103. She Wanted Love by Barbara Cartland Page A

author.”
    “But I really hate books,” Pepe said, as if the word automatically came to her lips.
    “There are books and books,” Eleta replied, “just as there are people and people. Some people we love, who are very wonderful, and it would be lovely to write about them, but some people are wicked and horrid and we must just forget them.”
    She saw that the child was thinking over what she had just said and finally she replied,
    “If they are wicked, they are the villains!”
    “Yes, of course they are, Pepe, but you and I are the heroines and the good people who will always be helped not only by the fairies but by the angels.”
    This started a new train of thought and they were still talking about angels and whether there was one for everyone in Heaven when they reached the stables.
    “I see her Ladyship’s ridin’ without a leadin’ rein,” the Head Groom said. “I don’t know what his Lordship’ll say about that.”
    “Her Ladyship is quite old enough and competent to ride on her own,” Eleta said, “But she should have a larger pony or even a horse. She really rides very well.”
    “I don’t know what his Lordship’ll think about it. We’ve always bin extra careful about her Ladyship and there’ll be terrible trouble if she has an accident.”
    “I promise you she is not going to have one,” Eleta said. “I am sure because you are so clever you will find a larger pony or a horse for her to ride tomorrow.”
    She realised in flattering him that she had said the right thing, as after a moment’s pause he replied,
    “I’ll do me best, but I might not be able to find one as quickly as that.”
    Eleta smiled, thanked him and, as they went into the house, she suggested,
    “I think it would be nice if we had tea downstairs, if not in the drawing room, there must be other comfortable rooms where we can sit in beautiful surroundings, which, of course, make wonderful stories for us.”
    “I would love to do that,” Pepe enthused, “but they always say I have to stay in the schoolroom, which, as you know, is really my nursery.”
    “I do realise that and, as there is no one else in the house, I am now going to ask the butler to bring us tea in whichever room you fancy best for our stories.”
    “The tapestry room has stories on the tapestries, but no one would tell me what they are all about.”
    “Very well, Pepe, we will have tea in the tapestry room today. Then tomorrow we will find another room where there will also be stories but different ones.”
    They walked in through the front door and there was no butler to be seen, only two footmen on duty.
    “Lady Priscilla and I would like tea in the tapestry room,” Eleta said. “We are now going upstairs to change, but we will not be long.”
    The footmen looked at her in astonishment.
    “In the tapestry room?” one of them queried. “But her Ladyship always has her tea upstairs.”
    Eleta smiled.
    “She is too old for the nursery now and I hope we will find a more comfortable schoolroom, so when we have finished tea I would then like to see Mrs. Shepherd.”
    She spoke politely, but with an authority that the footman readily acknowledged.
    “Very well, miss,” he said.
    “I will race you up the stairs,” Eleta suggested.
    Pepe gave a cry of excitement and they both started to run and Eleta allowed the child to win by just one stair.
    They were both laughing as they climbed the next staircase hand in hand.
    “Now hurry and change,” Eleta urged.
    A housemaid appeared from nowhere and it was clearly her job to help Pepe to dress and undress.
    Eleta then went into her room next door, which she thought was very ordinary and rather dreary. Only one of her boxes had been unpacked as the others were locked.
    Then, throwing her riding clothes onto a chair, she put on a pretty but comfortable dress.
    Then she and Pepe went downstairs.
    The tapestry room was obviously very special and it was indeed one of the finest Eleta had ever seen and